Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) City at the mouth of the River Saigon in the Mekong delta, s Vietnam; the largest city in Vietnam. An ancient Khmer settlement, Saigon was seized by the French in 1859 and made capital of Cochin China, then French Indochina (1887–1902). In 1954 it became capital of independent South Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, it served as military headquarters for US and South Vietnamese forces. Taken by the North Vietnamese in 1975, it was later renamed Ho Chi Minh City. It is the commercial, industrial and transport centre of Vietnam. Industries: shipbuilding, textiles, pharmaceuticals. Pop. (2002 est.) 3,378,500.

Saigon See Ho Chi Minh City